Posts Tagged ‘ghost’

After the emotional gut punch that’ll likely occur in May’s Infinity War, Marvel fans will be treated to more light-hearted fare this summer with Ant-Man and the Wasp.

The sequel to the 2015 hit finds Scott Lang (Antman) struggling to adjust to civilian life after his role in Civil War. When a new threat arises from the anti-capitalist mercenary Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), Lang’s mentor Hany Pym (Michael Douglas) enlists his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) to assume the mantle of The Wasp to even up the odds. The history of Wasp will get further backstory courtesy of Michelle Pfieffer, who plays Janet Van Dyne, the wife of Hank and the original Wasp who was lost to the Quantum Realm years ago during a botched mission.

I wonder if the Giant Pet Ant will make an appearance this time around. We’ll find out when Ant-Man and The Wasp hits theaters on July 6.

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Prison is the abode of regrets and failure. Nothing drove that home more than the opening scene of the season four premiere of Power, where we find our embattled protagonist, Jamie “Ghost” St. Patrick, in custody for the murder of federal agent Greg Knox.

Snatched from his club by Angela, Ghost replays all the events leading up to his worst nightmare. Tommy calling him a fool for dating a fed. His estranged wife Tasha echoing those sentiments. Whereas before Ghost had a measure of control over Angela’s emotions, he now finds his pleas of innocence returned with the icy glare of a woman scorned.

The problems are coming from all angles. Inside the jail, Ghost has to contend with a brutal C.O. (Charlie Murphy) that takes physical liberties on the basis that Ghost is a cop-killer. There’s little clean money Ghost and Tasha can put their hands on since Ghost cleared out their joint account during the brief war with Milan and Lobos. Adding to the humiliation in the St. Patrick household in a fed raid at the home, led by none other than Angela Valdez.

As expected, they trash the place and even confiscate Tasha’s (legal) gun. Neither Tasha nor Angela hold their tongue with each other, but Tasha clearly gets the upper hand by listing Angela’s discretions within earshot of her colleagues.

Long-time watchers of the show should find immense irony in Tasha’s current predicament. In season one, she took immense pride in her husband being the “biggest drug dealer in the city” and discouraging his desire to go legit with Club Truth. Well, here’s the other side the game — your man facing life in prison and the feds potentially seizing all your assets.

With that said, no one told Ghost to go have an affair with a federal agent. You feel the pain, anger and disappointment on her face when she goes to see Ghost in prison. In the coming weeks, it’ll be interesting to see who she relies on. Tommy is there, but there’s someone else who might be a better confidant…

LAKEISHA’S BACK FROM VACATION!

Well, back from hiding. Turns out that Tommy only had it in him to kill one woman last season. Instead of taking Keisha out like Milan suggested, he had her lay low until Milan was out of the picture. Now Keisha’s back to handle her portion of the shop and armed with the knowledge that Tasha and Tommy are using it to launder money. She was by Tasha’s side during the raid and ready to throw down on Angela, so don’t be surprised if those two lock horns in future episodes.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

We got a bit of a swerve on this storyline. Last time we saw Tariq, he was drugged on Kanan’s couch being held for ransom. At the pleading of Dre, Kanan decides to back off the plan and have Tariq tell his Mom it was just a bad joke. Note how naturally lying comes to Tariq when Tasha and Tommy press him about who he’s been with all night. It mirrors the duplicity that Ghost has used with everyone in his life. And like his father, expect it all to come crashing down by season’s end.

Speaking of Kanan, the only one that senses his work behind these recent events is Tasha. It’ll be interesting to see how much more havoc Kanan can do with Jukebox and Ray Ray. If I had to place a bet, look for them to drop some bodies within Tommy’s distribution ring.

A SECOND OPTION CAN NEVER BE #1

With Ghost locked up, Tommy’s now running things. That’s never worked too well in the past. His partners in the drug distribution conspiracy are already worried about how Ghost’s arrest, on an FBI murder rap no less, will affect their business. Plus Tommy will have to figure out how to placate the Serbian connects, who have also been informed of the brewing mess by Petar.

We also see that Julio, who we thought was the level-headed one of the crew, is a sucker for love when he brings a former prostitute to Club Truth for Dre to employ. With all the heat coming down on Ghost, you’d think the one place they’d want to keep clean is his supposed legit business.

ANGELA’S POWER STILL A FACADE

For all of Angela’s bravado this episode, there were several moments to remind her of her own culpability in this mess.

First was being confronted by Raina. All that abrasive energy Angela had for Tasha went out the window under that young girl’s questioning. What happened to wanting us to live with you? Angela had no answers, and the moment served as a strong reminder that the biggest victims of affairs tend to be children.

The second moment came with the introduction of a new character in smug, hotshot district attorney John Mak (Sung Kang). He taking over the Ghost investigation and makes it plain to Angela that her reckless bedroom romps with Knox and Ghost disqualify her from publically working on the case. However, Mak still expects her to work full-time sans any credit.

Still, I have faith in Angie to have Ghost’s back once the truth comes out. Angela’s not as smart as she thinks she is, but she goes hard for love. Once she realizes the worst about Ghost isn’t true, she’ll find a way to sabotage the case.

OTHER STORYLINES TO WATCH FOR

A season ago, Dre was just an ambitious hustler on the corner. Now running a nightclub and staying alive despite his loyalties being boxed between two dangerous forces in Tommy and Kanan. Unfortunately, I think the young gun is on borrowed time. There’s only so long you can play both sides. Tommy already knows he’s lying about who “Slim” is, and Kanan won’t hesitate to put a bullet in him the first time that $50k a week payoff is low.

For Proctor to be such a savvy attorney, who else found it hilarious that his baby momma is strung-out, loudmouth cokehead? They wouldn’t interject his home life for no reason, so we’ll see how it impacts the storyline in the weeks ahead.

The only person breathing a sigh of relief this episode is corrupt FBI agent Mike Sandoval. No one suspects he killed Knox, but he made the idiotic mistake of not disposing of the murder weapon after receiving that call on the pier. When the case against Ghost starts unraveling, Angela should finally start connecting the dots.

If Ghost wants protection in prison, he should look no further than Tony Teresi. But what will mobster ask for in return?

Y’all see how the judge was leaning towards bail until Proctor brought up that he was a successful African-American businessman? Foul. SMH

Was the premiere worth the wait? Sound off in the comments and be back next week for episode 2!

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It’s going to be a hot summer. The season three trailer for Power finds our conflicted protagonist James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) faces threats on all sides. Former mentor turned enemy Kanan (50 Cent) is out for vengeance after being left for dead by Ghost in the season 2 finale. His former best friend, Tommy (Joseph Sikora), is another enemy who’s being manipulated by his girlfriend Holly (Lucy Walters). Add on Ghost’s love triangle with wife Tasha (Naturi Haughton) and DEA agent Angela (Lela Loren), and you have a season with many explosive storylines to build on.

Ghost is dead… for now. Although James St. Patrick is still among the living, his murderous kingpin alter-ego “Ghost” is temporarily retired to live out his recurring fantasy — a life of peace with Angela. Unfortunately for James, his masterful plan to eliminate all street ties has loose ends that will leave him and Angela in immense danger come season three.

The finale begins with the clandestine murder of Drifty, the Jamaican drug leader and one of the chiefs in Ghost’s networks of pushers for Lobos’ product. A picture card named “La Armana” is placed on the body, and this becomes a recurring theme when we see Vladimir, the Russian leader, suffer the same fate in a spa. Later its revealed that Ghost is behind the slayings as revenge for their treachery, and to eliminate any ties to himself as he moves forward with trying to become legit.

To that end, Ghost finally pulls his trump card on the smug Simon Stern. With the proof of embezzlement sent to Stern’s soon to be ex-wife Madeline, Stern loses Club Truth to her, and she immediately sells it back to Ghost. Stern is left with his tongue wagging and millions less in his bank account. A more fitting end couldn’t have been written for a man who made his fortune exploiting others.

A FRACTURED FRIENDSHIP

The episode also highlighted by the permanent break between Tommy and Ghost. At the episode’s opening, Ghost had Tommy’s complete trust for getting him out of prison and a federal sentence. But as they conspired to eliminate Kanan, Tommy truly saw how deep Ghost’s rabbit hole went. Not only did he find out Ghost truly did set up Kanan, but Holly reappears to disclose secret plan to send her away.

They both realize their lies were to save what matters most of them. For Ghost, that’s leaving the street life behind and going legit. For Tommy, it’s continuing to be the biggest dealer in town (“It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at.”). They’re going in different directions, and a tense, gun-pointing standoff is ended with Tommy walking away and vowing to have nothing further to do with his former best friend.

Lobos might have something to say about that.

“Ghost Loose End #1” is Lobos, who survived the prison assassin sent by Ghost. Lobos saw through the “La Armana” card ruse (meant to identify the Jimenez cartel) and concluded it was Ghost. His revenge is to flip Tommy into his sole distributor. Tommy doesn’t have a say in the matter, as Lobos makes it abundantly clear that that a refusal means his death and that of his loved ones (mother, Holly).

Up until now, Tommy has not had to wear the crown and the endure the pressure that comes with it. We’ll see how he handles being under the thumb of an erratic, murderous supplies, having to set up an entire new drug network, and also handling the killing of his former best friend. Be careful what you wish for, Tommy.

SAY HELLO TO THE BAD GIRL

Exit Angela the FBI Agent. Enter Angela the Queenpin. Angela has finally reached the point of no return emotionally and professionally. After breaking it off with Ghost for the 1000th time, she has an epiphany at her disciplinary hearing when she’s cleared of all charges. Once again, she sees Ghost is out to protect her at all costs — the illegality of the sketch supplied by Isabel Ruiz can’t be verified since Ghost convinces the entire Ruiz family to hide out in California to avoid “Lobos’ wrath.”

As discussed in the episode nine recap, Angie and Ghost are just alike. They are ruthless and psychopathic in their ambition to get to the top at all costs. Everyone is expendable — just ask Angie’s colleague (and former lover) Greg, who gets double-crossed into the target of a sexual harassment investigation. With the respect of her colleagues gone, Angie only has Ghost and the dream he continues selling her of a “happily ever after” conclusion.

KANAN’S FAILURE

“Ghost’s Loose End #2.” Kanan’s plot to overthrow Ghost literally goes up flames. He foolishly alienated his only remaining ally in Dre, who knows if Kanan would kill his own son, his evil has no limit. He switches sides to Ghost and help set up an ambush pitting Kanan and Ghost together for a one on one showdown. Following some intense fighting, Ghost stabs Kanan, drenches him in gasoline, and sets the basement ablaze.

This is where things get interesting. We last see Kanan with the flames surrounding his body. But the last scene of the episode shows fire investigators showing a pick lock, indicating that someone got out of the room. Suspending disbelief here is difficult for several reasons. One, Ghost is an efficient and experienced killer — you’d think he’d at least be sure Kanan wasn’t breathing before starting the fire.

Second, the idea of Kanan continuing his revenge quest will be a bit surreal considering how damaged he’ll be from the fire. With no muscle nor money, it’ll be hard for him to get a new crew together or remain hidden in the city while looking like Freddy Kruger.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEASON 3

Angie and Ghost are finally together, but that love will be tested on all fronts. Here’s just a few potential subplots.

ANGELA VS. TASHA: This has been building for 2 seasons. The two women have only been face to face once (and from a distance with no dialogue exchanged). Now that Tasha is convinced Ghost killed Shawn, she’ll seek to destroy her husband and everything he holds dear. The kids should come into play more with Ghost trying to move his domestic life over to Angie, which Tasha will fight vehemently. There is going to be some intense conversations between these two.

GREG THE SCORNED: Greg’s soft spot for Angie got him burned in the worst possible way. Likely out of a job, he’ll have nothing to lose spending every waking moment taking down Ghost and Angela. I expect him to do a lot of damage, but also have his obsession be his undoing.

DRE: Ghost will have to heavilydepend on his new right-hand, but can he be trusted? Dre is a good goon, but he’s shown no problem jumping ship when things look dire. Ghost will undoubtedly be under pressure come season 3. Will Dre go running to Tommy or possibly even Kanan again? Dre mentioned being a father, so getting more backstory on him would be welcomed.

RUIZ: C’mon, how long is Ruiz really going to stay in Cali? His loyalty should be to Ghost, but Ruiz is another guy who lusts to be on top. Where will he place his chips when the streets start to get hot?

MIKE: Looks like we’ve found our “mole” in the Lobos investigation. Mike Sandoval, the head of the investigation, gives the recovering Lobos a burner to make his “one call,” which indicates to me he’s on the take. He also refers to him as “Jefe” (boss). It’s too early to tell where this going, but it’s another threat to Angie and Ghost’s hope of peace.

Shawn (Sinqua Walls) is murdered by his own father Kanan, who went into a murderous rage after Shawn’s failed hit(s) on Ghost. For the entire season we’ve witnessed the young, impressionable Shawn manipulated by the selfishness of every adult he cared for: Kanan, Tasha, Keisha and Ghost. They all used him for whatever they wanted, caring nothing about his own self-interest. That lead the poor kid into believing he could kill two birds with one stone — kill Ghost to not only win his father’s admiration, but also secure a future with Tasha.

The hit was botched from the start. Kanan and Dre were fools for trusting the clandestine murder of the city’s biggest drug dealer to a sheltered pup like Shawn. Second, the quiet location for the shooting was off-limits due to construction. Third, someone’s first kill should not be someone the assassin knows, let alone a figure that’s been a surrogate father to them. The last point is what allowed Ghost to talk his way out of the shooting when Shawn ambushed him at Truth. Ghost correctly argued what Shawn already knew; he was being manipulated into a life he didn’t want by a “bitter old thug.”

Then Shawn throws it all way. Ghost disarmed him and could, and some will argue should, have killed Shawn after he revealed the Tasha affair. Shawn left humiliated (but alive) and could have left town with Tasha as planned. Unfortunately, he just had to confront his father one last time.

I bet Shawn wishes he would’ve had that father-son heart to heart over the phone.

Kanan was expectedly furious, but killing his son was an extreme that will probably surprise many viewers. However, think back to all the interaction between them this season. Kanan treated Shawn like a close friend/little brother more than a son. The bathroom blowjobs with the groupie and wanting to know about Tasha’s sexual prowess stand out as examples. It is important to note that there did seem to be a moment of regret in Kanan’s eyes following the murder. I hope we’ll get to see how Shawn’s mother (and Kanan’s sometime lover) deals with the loss of her son.

We’re just alike, Angie… We’ve both been playing dirty… You’re just mad that you lost. – Ghost

This episode cements a theory of mine — Ghost and Angela are psychopaths. When we think of that word, we envision serial killers, but psychopaths are not necessarily violent. Two of the defining traits of psychopaths are regularly breaking the law and deceiving others. Ghost and Angie have down that in spades this season. Ghost gets credit for recognizing long ago his true nature. He deftly points out that Angie is just like him with the exception of letting love blind her decisions (which is why she “lost”). He forced her to come face to face with the complete true nature of the man she professes to love.

For now, we’ll have to take the ending “Fuck you Ghost” comment to signify her intention of ending the relationship. Nonetheless, this show has shown us intention and follow-through are drastically different things. Angie already showed signs of cracking, and further deceit, when put on the spot by Greg about his dealings with Ghost.

Next week is the season finale, guaranteeing us a definitive answer on whether Ghost or Angie will move closer or further apart headed into season three.

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Guess who’s back? Our favorite conflicted drug kingpin James “Ghost” St. Patrick found his challenges mounting in episode two with the surprise jail release of old comrade Kanan (50 Cent), a failure to find buyers for his prodigious supply of kilos,and a humbling demotion in his club business.

With the failed hit and disappearance of his hired shooter, Kanan quickly realizes the best solution to eliminating Ghost returning to his inner circle. His surprise return to Ghost’s home has several verbal ques that hint to an uneasiness between them. To this point, all we know is Kanan took the fall years back, letting Ghost and Tommy step up to become the top dealers in the city. Kanan alludes to the treachery of that takeover by mentioning how Ghost killed his predecessor. In a sense, Kanan is trying to return the favor.

The most telling thing about this scene is the concerned glances exchanged between Ghost and Tasha. If Kanan was truly an old friend, why weren’t they completely ecstatic to see him? There are several theories you can run with. One, Ghost had something to do with Kanan getting locked up (think Tony Soprano/Feech La Manna or Stringer/Avon) to preserve his business. Two, the timing of Kanan’s release after an attempt on Ghost’s life has raised the latter’s suspicion. Third, they may just simply realize that Kanan is a sociopath from their street days and doesn’t fit into the complex, insulated system Ghost has created. We’ll know soon enough.

On the drug side, Ghost and Tommy have tons of product and still no buyers. The Serbians and RSKs turn them down. The Haitians are non-committal. On the legit side, Ghost finds himself demoted to a subordinate of his former assistant Kantos. We can credit the ruthless Simon Stern for this move in his plan to wrestle Truth away from Ghost’s empire. Unbeknowst to Stern, Kantos isn’t built to lead. For now, Ghost will hold a tenuous grip on how the club is run.

Love-wise, we began the episode with Ghost tailing Angela’s morning jog to find out more intel. He figures out her close FBI connections, but a quick read of hidden case files in her home brings relief — her case is weak… on him. She does figure out that Tommy may be behind Nomar’s murder. Next episode, we’ll find out how good Ghost’s poker face is when Angela starts her own fishing into his relationship with Tommy.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

1. The Tainos faction is on the come up. Their new leader Cristobal has all the guile and focus that his dearly departed brother lacked. He’ll be a strong ally (or dangerous adversary) for Ghost.

2. Kanan is in the running for the worst father of the year. You make your son get a blowjob on a skank right after you finish putting a deposit in her mouth? And you just got out of jail? Shawn, run to the clinic.

3. It’s too bad Pink Sneakers’ errant bullet for Ghost didn’t hit Holly square in the head. She’s becoming way too bold and nosy in a world she’s not ready for. You’d think a bullet would scare her straight. In this case, it has made her more reckless.

4. Ghost and Stern’s gentleman’s agreement on Truth increasing revenue by 20% is something I hope Ghost isn’t banking on. Stern is a snake and won’t honor anything not in writing.

5. Can Ghost kill Pink Sneakers, the guy trailing her and still keep Angela in the dark?

You can only delay the inevitable for so long. The season 2 premiere of Power, aptly titled “Consequences,” saw the primary players facing the fallout for their season 1 decisions. And most importantly, our protagonist James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) discovered a chilling secret that will drive this year’s remaining episodes.

If surviving a murder attempt in his very own club wasn’t enough, Ghost’s attention is now directed on his mistress/high school love Angela (Lela Loren), who’s now been outed by Tommy (Joseph Sikora), his right hand man, as a federal agent.

“That bitch’s pussy got you stuck on stupid,” says Tommy in disgust.

Indeed, Ghost must feel like an idiot. Angela appears out of nowhere one night in his club and in no time he’s knee-deep between her legs with fantasies about starting a new life. The one area of his life he thought was safe and pure turns out to be just as big a deception as he’s been perpetrating to the public and his family. Not to mention, his wife Tasha reveals she knows about the affair and demands he stop.

Ghost’s two options have their pros and cons. He can cut all contact with Angela, but that leaves him in the dark about the extent of her knowledge on his criminal dealings. He can continue the affair to learn more about Angela’s case, but then he risks causing hothead Tommy to make a stupid move in killing her and bringing the wrath of the federal government.

Speaking of Tommy, anyone else catch the hypocrisy in his criticism of Ghost’s affair with Angela? Tommy’s been just as guilty by revealing the entire operation to his klepto girlfriend Holly.

Love issues aren’t the only big problems in Ghost’s life. His business front, Club Truth, had to be closed for weeks due to the shooting. In that period, rival mogul Simon Stern literally brought the building Ghost was renting out, making Stern his new landlord. Stern smugly lets Ghost know if he doesn’t take him up on his apprentice offer, he’ll have no qualms about evicting him once his current lease ends. That would leave the city’s biggest drug dealer without an outlet to wash his money.

On the street end, Ghost is trying to move his supplier Lobos’ weight among two camps with nothing but disdain for each other: the RSKs and Saldados. The RSKs suspect the latter in the season 1 murder of their leader Rolla, and are equally suspicious of Ghost, the actual killer. The Saldados leader, Ruiz, wants a bigger hand in executive decision that Ghost makes. All camps are unknowingly being manipulated by Kanan (50 Cent), who is now back on the street with sights set on taking over Ghost’s empire.

REMAINING BUSINESS

1. Kanan is none too happy that the hitwoman he hired, the mysterious Pink Sneakers, botched the Ghost shooting at Club Truth. He now sees her as a liability that needs to be silenced. In the meantime, he’s gone about secretly grooming his son Shawn (who just happens to be Ghost’s driver). Wait until Kanan finds out about Tasha’s flirtatious relationship with his son.

2. Speaking of Tasha, she’s continuing her own secret mission of stashing money. Yes, Ghost is starting to involve her more on the decision-making side of the criminal business, but she is still a woman scorned. That makes her moves unpredictable, especially if she finds out Angela is still in the picture.

3. When Holly wakes up out that coma, what will her mindset be?

4. Angela her own problems. Since her star informant Nomar was killed by Tommy in the season 1 finale, Angela has been taken off the Lobos case and assigned to “white-collar” crimes. However, she kept the cell phone of her CI and will be using that to continue her own investigation. How long before the trail takes her past having just having the connect’s street name of “Ghost” to her actual love, Jamie?